E Pluribus Unum
Chapter 1
By: Paperfist
On a particular dark Halloween a gaunt figure strode through Godric's Hallow towards a small house at the edge of the town. To most, the house wasn't even there at all; just another tiny plot of land that was never bought. Oh, but he knew better than that. The violet eyes narrowed as he approached his destination. A pale hand rose from the folds of a dark cloak, and with a single flick the gate that led to the house was blown apart. Another wave of his wand caused the door to collapse on itself, hinges and all.
As he stepped through the wreckage he noticed that no one was home. Stupid Potters, he thought to himself. He frowned, and sighed with relief when he cast a Homonus Revelio charm and found two small entities up the stairs. No parents? Well that would make his job all the easier. He walked up the steps with a usually unfelt joy in his heart. Today, he would rid himself of his prophesied enemy. But, he remembered, his agent Severus Snape had not heard the second part of the prophecy. He made a mental note to torture him after he had completed this historic mission.
Voldemort strode briskly across the hallway, smiling sadistically as he thought of the fun he would have with those two Potters before they died. It was a pity that he had to kill them, for if he recruited the two, he could strike a terrible blow to the Light side.
He turned the corner towards the bedroom where he had detected the two brothers. He would kill them, both of them. Maybe even have some fun with them first. He pointed his wand towards the door. A second later the door blew off its hinges and into the room. The Dark Lord slowly walked through the carnage and looked in. There, on a crib, a small baby. Quickly searching through the boy's mind, he scanned the baby's magical abilities. A wizard only with the capabilities of an average wizard? Preposterous! He raised his wand anyways. Avada Kedav-
Before he could finish the curse, a force of unimaginable power rammed straight into his side, throwing him into a wall. Voldemort growled as he heard a rib crack. He whipped around, cursing, expecting the enraged face of a Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, but found himself look into the enraged face of a…three year old?
Then the Dark Lord remembered that there was another child in the room. He forced himself into the mind of the small child and glimpsed the raw pulsating core before he was thrown out of the child's mind quite forcibly. The Dark Lord staggered, face contorted in pain. He forced himself to look at the child.
The child glared with an unnatural hatred. "NO!"
Voldemort threw up a powerful shield just as an enormous wave of flame erupted from the boy's hand and directly at the Dark Lord. The young Potter never relented, the blue flames relentlessly struggling to push back Voldemort's shield of black energy.
Finally, the boy stopped. Voldemort gasped for breath as he let the shield go down. This must be the Chosen One. He crushed the thought from his mind as a beam of ice, as sharp as a needle and broad as a spear, headed straight towards him at an unimaginable speed. The Dark Lord destroyed the projectile with a blast of black fire. He snarled in his rage and screeched, "Crucio!"
A sickly, yellow beam of light shot out from Voldemort's wand and flew straight and true...to where the boy had been a second before.
Not in the least discouraged that all his attacks had been neutralized, the Potter sent a blast of terrible, blue lightning, the tendrils of electricity getting ever the more closer.
Voldemort conjured a black shield, the barrier barely holding back the mass of lightning. Voldemort knew that he could not hold out for much longer. The young boy had a look of desperation on his face, of a willingness to die for his family. Voldemort snarled. He hoped that the boy hadn't cast Blood Magic on the other, younger, child.
Te momentary distraction was enough for the lightning to pierce his defenses. He screamed as an unbearable feeling, worse than the Cruciatus Curse, flooded his body, the energy burning, burning his insides. He felt the branches of electricity tortuously moving up and down, immobilizing each limb one at a time.
The flow of energy stopped, and Voldemort fell to the ground, gasping. Smoke rose from his robes and into the air, filling the room. The Dark Lord looked up at the boy, who calmly looked down, expression pensive, and raised his hand once more. Desperately, the Dark Lord summoned his wand and shouted the his signature curse.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
The Dark Lord smirked as he saw the green incandescent beam spat from his wand sped towards the boy. He mentally probed the boy's mind with his own, this time his own eyes widening when the brats soul did not depart screaming into the void. The last thing he saw was a sickly green light of the Killing Curse rebounding off a golden shield and heading straight back towards him. He swore he saw a small smile on the boy's face as he departed, fleeing the scene as fast as he could.
Nobody noticed that in the explosion that followed, an extremely magically enhanced piece of glass had fallen on the toddler's forehead leaving a bloody scar.
The minutes slowly ticked by, and a few minutes later, 3 cracks were heard and 3 people, two males and a woman appeared in existence. All three raced towards the ruined house without any disruption. When Lily Potter burst into the room she found her eldest son lying on the floor. She quickly checked and found a pulse.
"Lily! Look at this!"
The burnt husk of Voldemort lay in front of their youngest son's crib. Inside the crib, Adam Potter lay, crying and bawling. A bloody cut on his forehead clearly visible.
Dumbledore entered the room and checked the condition of the eldest Potter brother once more. His mentally shrieked when he entered the boy's mind. Hundreds of memories flowed through his mind, sifting so fast that Dumbledore simply could not find the one memory of the previous hours. He sighed and exited Harry's mind. He walked over to Voldemort's corpse and made sure it was for sure dead. He then looked at Adam. His forehead was bleeding, and it was a powerful magical wound at that as well.
Albus spoke slowly, "By the looks of the evidence, it looks as if Adam is the Boy-who-Lived and will one day be the one to end Voldemort and what he stands for."
The Potter's jumped and hugged each other in glee. They immediately went out to tell their friends the good news. "However," Albus said, "That does not necessarily mean that he is the Boy-who-Lived!"
But his words fell on deaf ears. Albus sighed and turned away. He looked forlornly at the sleeping three-year old and finally pointed his wand at the motionless form and said "Ennervate."
The boy immediately shot up, and upon seeing Albus and the corpse of Lord Voldemort he spoke quietly, "He's dead right?"
The sudden use of a sentence not meant until one was a whole year older, not to mention the calmness of the boy shocked him.
"Of…Of course Harry. Yes. He is dead, by the hand of your brother I think. You should be proud my boy. You now have a brother that must take the up the mantle of defeating Lord Voldemort one day, and you should fight proudly beside him when that day comes. But, anyhow, he is dead, Harry."
Harry's facial expression twitched painfully. "I am glad to hear so."
"I must get going Harry. I apologize for the inconvenience. The Minister must know of this right away. You are very lucky that you survived Harry. I am glad that the Potters did not need to mourn the loss of one of their own kin."
Another sudden crack resounded, and disheveled man with greasy shoulder length hair ran immediately into the house. He sprinted into the bedroom.
"Albus!" the man huffed.
"Yes Severus?"
"The Mark…It's fading!"
That's when he noticed the corpse of the Dark Lord lying on the ground.
"Yes. Adam Potter likely deflected the Killing Curse and should be the one who will destroy him forever. Quick, Severus, convene the Order of the Phoenix and tell them the good news. Now, I really must be going. The Minister will not be expecting this most excellent news."
The Potions Master turned away from the room and walked stiffly outside. A sharp crack was heard soon after.
The young Potter turned to the corpse of Lord Voldemort, spat on it, and turned away, ready to get some sleep.
8 years later…
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Harry Potter groaned as his alarm went off at 4:30 A.M. He slammed his hand on the snooze button and rolled out of bed. He was halfway to the bathroom when he remembered what day it was. He grinned happily. It was July 31st, 1991, his birthday!
And, he thought to himself, his idiotic younger brother. His day brightened up again when he remembered that the event he had been waiting for all his life had come.
Hogwarts!
He grinned happily as he sauntered into the empty kitchen, snapping his fingers casually and calling out "Dotty!"
Almost immediately, a small house-elf popped in and asked in a high squeaky voice, "What does Master Potter need?"
Harry replied, "I just want a small breakfast please, that's all. Thank you."
"Oh great Master Harry Potter is so kind, so benevol-"
"Just go Dotty."
"But Master is so-"
"JUST GO!"
A small pop and less than 3 minutes later a bowl of cereal, an English muffin, and some tea appeared on the table. Harry smiled thankfully and began to dig in. A few minutes later, his breakfast was interrupted by an owl flying through the opened window and landing on his table in an undignified heap. Harry wrinkled his nose and opened the letter attached to its offered claw. Smiling at the Hogwarts seal stamped on the envelope, he broke the seal and pulled out the following letter:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September (or when you happen to register). We await your owl by no Later then 31st of July.
Yours Sincerely
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Harry snorted in amusement. The deadline was on his birthday! It was lucky that his godfather had such a fast owl. Otherwise, he might not be registered at all. Harry shuddered. That would have been most terrible. He pulled out the next sheet:
HOWGARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Uniform
First year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags
Set Books
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl, cat or toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
He frowned when he saw the No Broomsticks for first years. Ah well, there were rules and rules had to be followed. Soon, another owl came flying in, this time with a Daily Prophet attached to its claws. Tossing the owl 5 nuts, he untied the newspaper and frowned when he saw the headline.
The Wizarding World Celebrates the Birthday of the Boy Who Lived
By Rita Skeeter
Today, the Wizarding World celebrates the 8th birthday of Adam Potter, the young infant that as a child reflected the Killing Curse shot from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and vanquished You-Know-Who himself. According to Headmaster of Hogwarts Dumbledore, Adam will try to live the most normal life that a young wizard like him before taking his true place in the Wizarding World. However, he will be also starting his training in September, taking lessons from Dumbledore himself. Yesterday, in an exclusive interview with the Boy Who Lived himself, the vanquisher of one of the greatest Dark Lords himself, talked about Hogwarts, getting his own wand, his bully of a brother his birthday, and his hard life training to fight against Voldemort if he rises again.
According to Headmaster of Hogwarts Dumbledore, Adam will try to live the most normal life that a young wizard like him before taking his true place in the Wizarding World. However, he will be also starting his training
Rita Skeeter (RS): How do you feel Hogwarts? Any thoughts on the teachers, the curriculum, the extracurricular activities?
Adam Potter (AP): I think that Hogwarts will be an easy school for me. I am a very powerful wizard, as defeating You-Know-Who shows. The teachers are decent, like Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. However, I think Ponoma Sprout needs to be replaced, she is just terrible. And Professor Grubby-Plank is stupid and should be fired immediately, along with that fatso gamekeeper Hagrid. The dumbass janitor Filch should also be fired with no benefits. I think the best teachers are Professor Vector and Professor Sinistra. They are really cool, and their youth makes you relate to the. Their hair is so shiny and soft, and they are extraordinarily beautiful. Their ass-
RS: Uh…Have you gotten your own wand yet?
AP: Of course I have! I'm the Boy Who Lived! Of course I got a wand already. Mine is holly and phoenix feather, 11 inches. It is so powerful. It's as powerful as…You-Know-Who's wand. It's awesome and I am already training with it! I can already do so many spells!
RS: Don't you have a brother?
AP: Oh, him! He is such a bully! He always bosses me around and pretends he's all cool and stuff. But everyone knows better, after all, I am the Chosen One! I'll show him!
RS: Your birthday is tomorrow right?
AP: It's gonna be awesome! I'm going to play Quidditch with all my friends and go to the magical zoo and I'm getting at least 43 presents! But of course my stingy fatass brother won't even get me a present. He is sooooo stupid.
RS: Are you afraid that You-Know-Who might come back?
AP: You kidding me? I've been training since Day 1. I could whip his ass any day. I have worked very hard to attain my level of skill. I am a prodigy for my age Everyone says that.. Heck, I can do first year spells already!
For more on Adam Potter, go to page A-5. For a minute-by-minute telling of the attack on Godric's Hollow, go to page A-18.
Harry's eyes turned a dark yellow at seeing the interview. He raised his hand and the paper was incinerated in a blast of blue flames. He would show them all who was to be feared here. He would show them all.
Harry passed by his parents who were busy coddling Adam, his heart turning to stone has they ignored him. Without a good-bye, he grabbed some Floo powder and shouted, "Grimmauld Place!"
He shook his head as the familiar faces of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black materialized. Sirius immediately noticed something was not all right with Harry.
"What's wrong pup?"
Harry spoke stiffly, "Mom and Dad didn't even acknowledge it was my birthday. Nor did they care about my Hogwarts letter."
Remus and Sirius exchanged glances. "That's ok pup," they both said. "We'll go with you!"
Harry smiled, a genuine smile, and said softly, "Thanks."
With that, the three of them stepped into the fireplace with a pinch of Floo powder and shouted, "The Leaky Cauldron!"
A blur of fireplaces dizzied Harry for a moment, but he recovered and saw the familiar gloom of the Leaky Cauldron appear. Remus and Sirius shook the dust and soot off of them and strode down and said hi to Tom. Then, they led Harry into the back, where he saw nothing but a gigantic brick wall.
Harry frowned. How did they get past this? He glared at Sirius who was smirking at Harry and looked thoughtfully at the brick wall. He noticed that a few of the blocks had many slight scratches and were more worn than the others. He walked over to Remus, stole his wand, and tapped each of the worn bricks once. Suddenly, the wall disappeared and a whole new world materialized.
Diagon Alley was even more busy than usual. Book shops, wand vendors, broom stores, weapons stores, jewelry shops, things from cleaning solvent to prank materials. It awed even Harry, who was extremely hard to impress. He turned to Sirius. "Where am I going to get money?"
Sirius winked at Remus and pulled something from the small pouch around his neck. Sirius grunted and managed to heave out a huge money bag the nearly half the size of Harry. "Here's your birthday gift Harry."
Neither Sirius nor Remus had ever been hugged that tightly before.
4 hours later and 1230 galleons poorer, Harry finally entered the shop that excited him the most. Ollivander's Wand Shop. Sirius was out in a strip club, something that disgusted both Harry and Remus.
Remus and Harry opened the rickety wooden door. Inside, the smell of the old and mysterious could be detected. Boxes upon boxes upon boxes of wands were stacked in the room. A soft old voice greeted them. "Ah…Mr. Potter. I was wondering when you would show up. Your mother, it seems as if she came in yesterday, wand swishy, willow, 8 and a 1/2 inches and unicorn tail, excellent for charms. Your father, on the other hand, was the cheeky one, with holly, 10 and a 1/2 inches, dragon heartstring, excellent for Transfiguration."
Harry clenched his fists at the mention of his parents, but didn't say a thing.
"Which is your wand arm?"
"I am right-handed." Mr. Ollivander flicked his wand and a tape measure rolled out, taking pointless measurements.
"Try this one, pine and phoenix feather, good for charms."
As soon as he waved it, a huge amount of seawater rushed out, drenching both Mr. Ollivander and Remus.
"Definitely not that one. Try this, elm and dragon-heartstring from a vicious Hungarian Horntail, excellent for Battle Magic."
Harry waved the wand again and this time a sonic wave flew out from the wand knocking both Ollivander and Remus of their feet and causing several rows of wands to buckle.
"Not that one either, try this acacia wood and unicorn tail from a feisty young male, great for defensive magic."
Wand after wand after wand was tried, each without success.
45 minutes, hundreds of wands and a heavily damaged shop later, Ollivander finally looked up and said, "Tricky customer eh? For that reason, though mad that idea may be, I will let you try this wand."
Mr. Ollivander walked to the back of the store and came out with a black lacquer box. "Now, Mr. Potter, please try this wand."
The wand in question was a dark brown, curved yet shaped beautifully like a unicorn's tail. The worn grip had several runes on it, and on the hilt of the wand, a small white gem was inlaid into the back. The tip of the wand was burnt slightly, and the handle of the wand was darker than the rest. One could literally feel the magic flowing off of the wand itself, as its power was readily apparent to those well tuned to the flow of magic. In short terms, Harry thought it looked cool and deadly.
With reverence, Harry took the wand and placed in his hands. At first nothing happened. Just as Mr. Ollivander was going to say it was a pity that he had no wand for Mr. Potter, a beam of swirling magic burst from the wand and flowed through the shop, repairing the damage done by the previous wands. Boxes reconfigured and stacked themselves neatly. Wands shattered or snapped from the various explosions magically resealed themselves. Broken glass and wood reformed perfectly, leaving the shop in an even better state than it was before Harry came.
Mr. Ollivander smiled uneasily, and spoke to Harry. "Congratulations, for you have chosen a wand many would consider a great blessing yet a wand that just as many would consider a curse. For you have chosen the Elder Wand."
Remus gave a start. "What?"
"Mr. Potter has chosen the Elder Wand itself. That wand you hold in your hand has a long history, one that tells tales of great tragedy and great success, which is why I must tell you of its origins. . ." he trailed off ominously, making sure he had both their attentions. When he saw that he had both their undivided attention (Harry's was flicking between his wand and Ollivander), he continued on with the tale.
"There is a wand of legends that has had many names in the past, but one name that would be the most proper would be the "Elder Wand", and that wand is the wand you hold in your hands right now," he began, in a grandfatherly "story-telling" voice.
"If you are to believe legends, and in the Wizarding world, one will learn that to every legend, there is always some semblance of truth, then perhaps this story may interest you," he said 'there was once a story of three brothers who were walking, and in time, came upon a river too deep and dangerous to swim or wade across, but because the brothers were learned in the magical arts, they produced a bridge over the river. At the middle of the bridge, they came across a hooded figure, Death himself. Death was enraged, for the clever brothers crossed over the river unharmed while the previous travelers drowned in the dangerous waters. Death pretended to congratulate the wizards and told them they each deserved a prize for their marvelous magic," Ollivander paused there to gather his thoughts.
"The oldest of the brothers, who was a combative man, asked for a duel-winning wand, also worthy for a wizard who conquered Death. So Death retrieved a branch from an Elder Tree and fashioned a wand to give to the oldest brother," he explained, motioning to the wand in Harry's hands causing Remus's and Harry's eyes to widen in shock "the second of the brothers, who was arrogant, wanted to humiliate Death further and asked for the power to recall the dead. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to him and told him that the stone had the power of resurrection. The youngest brother was the humblest, the wisest, and did not trust Death in the slightest. He asked for something enabling him to move on without being followed by Death. So Death most unwillingly gave up his Cloak of Invisibility to the brother. After this, Death moved out of the way, and the brothers discussed their recent adventure," Ollivander was pleased to see that he had both Harry and Remus enthralled by his tale. They should be, it was very important that they knew this information.
"In time, the brothers separated towards different adventures. The oldest brother engaged in duels which he always won, boasting about his invincible wand from Death. One night, however, when he was asleep, a jealous wizard crept up on him, slit the brother's throat, and took the wand for himself; Death then took the first brother for his own," he said to the surprised duo. Harry looked at his wand warily, but still held it in an iron-like grip, not willing to give it up.
"The second brother had a home where he lived alone; he got the stone out one day and turned it thrice in his hand. The woman who he hoped to marry, only to have died previously, appeared before him. She was separated from her deathly world and was sad and cold. Driven mad, the second brother killed himself and rejoined his love in death; Death then took the second brother for his own," he paused, his eyes flickering as he tried to remember the rest of the tale.
"Death never found the youngest brother until he took off the cloak and passed it to his son. Death appeared upon the youngest brother who greeted him as an old friend and they departed from the world as equals.
The three objects that death fashioned for the brothers were forever known as the Deathly Hallows. It is said that whoever wields all three of the hallows will be considered the master of death, so you see why that wand can be considered a blessing and a curse . . ."
Harry finally said to Mr. Ollivander, "No offense, sir, but that story seems a might…extravagant? And I doubt that the Elder Wand would make a person unbeatable in a duel. Wouldn't it just more finely tune a wizard's ability to summon and cast magic?"
"I assume it will Mr. Potter, for the last user of that wand was the Dark Lord Grindelwald himself. And yet Albus Dumbledore, which the wand rejected, was able to defeat him in a duel. So he gave the wand to me so I could one day find its proper owner. It seems that time has come. With all such things aside, can I interest you in an exclusive dragon-hide wand holster?" Ollivander asked, his eyes gleaming.
Remus and Harry left the store with his money bag depleted of yet another 15 galleons, Harry cradling his new wand closely.
AN: There will be very slow updates. At least that's what I think. No flames please as this is my first fanfic. Oh yeah, and by the way, Harry was really powerful in the beginning because it was a situation of probably great stress. Sorta like super accidental magic. Yes, Harry will probably be super powerful, but he will work his butt off to reach that goal.
I made up Lily's and James' wands cuz I was too lazy to search them up.
Also, don't be like the Guest in the reviews. This is AU, so this is MY WORLD.
BWAHAHAHAHA!
Signing off,
Paperfist.
P.S. Any pairing suggestions?